DNA damage in fetal liver cells of turkey and chicken eggs dosed with aflatoxin B1

The present study was undertaken to investigate the potential of the potent hepatocarcinogen aflatoxin B₁ (AFB) to produce DNA damage in turkey and chicken fetal livers in ovo. Effects of a single injection of two different doses (0.062 and 6.2 μg) of AFB were examined under both short-term (4 h) and longer-term (4 day) dosing of eggs from turkeys at 24 days and chickens at 18 days of development. Liver cells prepared from the fetuses were used to assess the extent of DNA damage by the alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay. The results demonstrate that AFB produces dose-related DNA damage in the fetal livers of both turkeys and chicken at 4 h, which was reduced by 4 days. Turkey embryos appeared to be slightly more susceptible to AFB damage, although no difference in the survival between chicken and turkey fetuses was observed.